Valve really needs to place some condition under which a game is Early Access. The whole point is playtesting en mass, but this is only valid if the developer is actually taking strides to address the problems that are being found and take on suggestions to expand or add to existing features.
It's also not something that is suitable to all types of games because it's not just a bugtesting platform. It's there for gamers to suggest a direction for the game, to expand the original idea beyond the capabilities of a single team.
A game like Earth: Year 2066 neither deserves, nor is suited to this kind of crowd sourced feedback and most of the games currently listed as Early Access have no capacity to take advantage of what should be a very powerful tool. They've taken a pure concept and turned it into the most craven exploitation of instant gratification.
No you're not buying a game to help improve its development and ultimately make a more enriched experience than could have been possible by other means, you're paying to get a game before it's finished because you don't want to wait for the game to be finished. That's all.
It's also not something that is suitable to all types of games because it's not just a bugtesting platform. It's there for gamers to suggest a direction for the game, to expand the original idea beyond the capabilities of a single team.
A game like Earth: Year 2066 neither deserves, nor is suited to this kind of crowd sourced feedback and most of the games currently listed as Early Access have no capacity to take advantage of what should be a very powerful tool. They've taken a pure concept and turned it into the most craven exploitation of instant gratification.
No you're not buying a game to help improve its development and ultimately make a more enriched experience than could have been possible by other means, you're paying to get a game before it's finished because you don't want to wait for the game to be finished. That's all.